Plans approved for valley’s first permanent Armenian church

By Paul Takahashi

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 | 5:30 p.m.

The Clark County Planning Commission approved on Tuesday night plans for the first permanent church for the Armenian community in the Las Vegas Valley.

The St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church and Cultural Center of Las Vegas will be built on a half-acre parcel at 2054 East Desert Inn Road, near the Eastern Avenue intersection, within the Winchester area.

Currently, the 60-member congregation meets weekly in a 1,000-square-foot hall in the property’s north office building, said Parish Council President Andy Armenian.

Plans for the new church call for the property’s southern building to be demolished and rebuilt into a one-story, 3,590-square-foot church with a traditional Armenian design. A breezeway will be built to connect the north office building to the expanded church.

County planning staffers recommended denial of the application, citing concerns about the lack of parking spaces and the limited size of the property for a growing congregation. Planning commissioners echoed staff’s issues during the meeting.

“The proposal is beautiful, but my concern is that you will outgrow the place,” said Planning Commissioner Vivian Kilarski.

Armenian addressed the commissioners’ concerns, saying that he is hiring a shuttle bus to transport parishioners and has worked out deals with neighboring property owners to secure additional parking.

In addition, Armenian said he doesn’t foresee his congregation outgrowing the building in the near future.

“On two weekends, Christmas and Easter, we will be tight for space. Unfortunately, the rest of the time, we’ll have between 40 to 60 parishioners,” he said. “It’s a good problem to have, but we won’t face the challenge of becoming overgrown for the next 10 years.”

Armenian also said he plans to mimic the practices of other churches, offering several services on Sundays to accommodate a potential influx of new worshippers.

The orthodox St. Garabed church was established in 1998, many other churches in the valley, has been holding services in rented spaces.

Construction on the new permanent home of the Armenian Apostolic church is expected to begin by April 2011.